A Princess and a Shepherd
by thefairestofthemall
Summary: AU; What if Snow White and Prince Charming had met when they had both only been children instead? This is likely what would have happened... [Lots of cute Little!Snowing fluff.]
1. First Encounter

**Author's Note:** This was a fluffy, adorable, little AU idea that has been twirling inside my mind for days now. I've always wondered what would have happened if Snow White and Prince Charming would have met as kids, and thus this happened. I could probably turn this into an AU multi-chapter fanfic if I wanted to, but for now it's only a oneshot.

Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time or claim to own the rights of any of its characters, etc.

Enjoy!

* * *

"I'm so tired of these endless journeys."

Oh, how this was a repeated complaint that the young princess struggled to keep for herself. She knew Johanna always meant well when she would, in return, immediately reassure her that they would come to an end sooner than she thought, but they never did.

She missed her palace, her lessons, and her capacity to sleep for as long as it would please her in the mornings. Undoubtedly, they all seemed like very selfish things to miss, but these endless journeys could only help her forget about her mother for such a brief period of time.

She was irreplaceable, and despite how the allowed time to grieve for her mother had long come to an end, her passing still hung over their heads. For her, it was a weight she continuously struggled to hold on her shoulders.

It was heavier than her mother's tiara…almost.

"Your father, the King, is a very lonely man. Someday, his wanderings will end." Johanna at last responded with a reassuring smile.

"But I am very lonely as well," she protested, glancing over towards her father who was discussing with a few of their trusted and loyal guards. "How long will we have to wait until the carriage is repaired?"

"It shouldn't take very long."

This was _always_ the excuse that was given to her when she would indeed need to wait for hours rather than a few minutes. But today, she had other plans in mind. Sitting and patiently awaiting for the journey to resume would not be apart of her duties.

"Johanna, we passed a little farm not very long ago before we were forced to stop here. I saw many sheep," she smiled sweetly, hoping this would ease Johanna's final decision. "And I would love to pet one simply to pass the time. I'm sure the shepherds would not mind!" How could they _ever_ mind a princess requesting to kindly pet their sheep?!

Sadly, a protest was too quick to come. "Your Majesty, you do not want to stay and keep your father company?"

Glancing over towards her father, who still appeared to look as interested in his conversation as he had been moments ago, she merely shook her head in response. "Father is occupied, and I want to keep myself occupied as well."

"Oh, very well," Johanna sighed in disbelief, knowing how stubborn the young princess could be. "I will alert the king of your plans and request to have a guard come with us."

"Thank you, Johanna," she smiled genuinely, embracing the woman into a hug.

Certainly, this journey could be a _little_ amusing, could it not?

* * *

"Is this the farm, Your Majesty?"

"Yes," she nodded in agreement to the guard's words, inhaling the gentle spring air.

Evidently, it wasn't in any way comparable to the beautiful palace she lived in, but it did look very homely and cozy. The sheep all seemed to look quite pleased by the bright, green pasture they were grazing from — all but one, that is. The sheep was rapidly being chased around the pasture by a young boy with slightly long, sandy blonde hair who appeared to look no older than she was.

"You may both stay here. I want to introduce myself," she paused, glancing towards Johanna. "Alone."

And, that is _exactly_ what she was now on her way to do.

The boy was still chasing the sheep with his staff as she approached him, and she was quick to assume that he had not noticed her as of yet.

"Excuse me?" she called aloud, stepping before him, only to suddenly find herself falling to the ground with a sharp gasp after he had inevitably ran into her.

Rude!

"How _dare_ you!" she spat, finally looking up to gaze into the boy's apologetic blue eyes.

"I'm sorry," the boy mumbled, gentlemanly holding out his hand for her to take. "I didn't see you."

"_Everyone in the kingdom deserves our love and respect,"_ she painfully remembered, huffing out a stubborn sigh as she brushed off a few strands of grass from her elegant pink coat. "No, I am the one who should apologize. I should have known better than to stand in your way."

Gently, she took a hold of his hand, and he quickly helped her stand again in one, swift motion. The boy didn't seem to be very shy, and yet he still appeared to be in awe by her presence. It was quite baffling, but she did not think much of it. She hadn't come here to meet a shepherd! She merely only wanted to pet a sheep or two to pass the time.

"Uh… I'm David," he held out his hand for her to shake with a nervous smile, and she merely quirked an eyebrow at the gesture. Shouldn't he be bowing before her? This was not apart of the customs she had learned growing up.

"And I'm Snow, Princess Snow White," she curtsied, ignoring the extended hand as she beamed a smile that was identical to her mother's. "But you may call me Snow, if you wish."

"You're a princess?!"

Clearly, David wasn't very observant. Her attire was an evident symbol of her status.

"Yes, and you must be a shepherd?"

"How did you kn—... Oh. Yeah," he shrugged, somehow managing a cheeky grin. "What are you doing here?"

His cluelessness was very…_charming_, to say the least. "One of the wheels from our carriage broke not very far away from this farm, and I'm so tired of these endless journeys. I was truly hoping that petting a sheep would help pass the time until it is repaired. I noticed them from our carriage earlier."

"They're hard not to miss. They're _snow white_ against green," he grinned, and she could do nothing but glare at him in response.

"Aren't you a real _charming_ shepherd," she cunningly replied, earning an even wider grin from David.

"Careful, or else I won't let you pet any sheep."

Who did he think he was to refuse her from petting any sheep?! She was a princess; however, as her mother had once also told her, it didn't make her any better than anyone else. Everyone was to be treated as equals.

"May I please have the honor of petting one of your sheep, David?" she asked politely with a soft sigh, her shimmering hazel eyes begging for her.

"'Course," he agreed, leading her towards a poorly constructed wooden fence where they presumably kept the sheep if they weren't out grazing in the pasture.

Thankfully, one was very near to the fence, and she was already beaming a smile as bright as the sun as she reached over to pet the animal's head.

"Hey! Wait! It'll scare it off!" David quickly cut in, grasping onto her hand. "You have to do it like this."

A demonstration ensued, much to her dismay, and yet she couldn't help but silently observe how his hand was still holding onto hers and performing the proper action under his careful instructions.

"See? That's how you do it."

"Thank you," she smiled softly, her gaze meeting his until she slightly blushed and glanced back towards the beautiful sheep she was now petting on her own.

"Uh… You're welcome," he mumbled, shuffling awkwardly next to her, and she couldn't help but laugh.

"You're very nice, David," she concluded, turning in order to face him properly. "I don't have many friends, but I now consider you to be one."

Father rarely ever allowed her to have any "playmates", as he always kindly said it, and the situation had only worsened immensely after her mother's death. If it weren't for Johanna's company, she would constantly feel extremely lonely, but David was one of the few who had succeeded in making her smile these past months.

"Really?"

"Why not? Are you not happy to have a princess as your friend?" she pouted adorably. It was the same pout she used with her father whenever she wanted something.

"No! I just wanted to make sure!" David protested, unable to resist a smile in hopes that it would make Snow smile again. He didn't understand why he couldn't stand seeing her unhappy, but he wanted to do everything he could in order to avoid it.

"Oh. Well, David," she began, plucking a small, white flower from the ground before placing it into his hair. "I now bestow you with the honor of being my friend."

"Thanks, but can I take the princess flower out of my hair when you leave?"

"No! You must keep it!"

But as David was about to protest, Johanna's voice began to echo from behind them. "Your Majesty?" she called aloud, the princess' head immediately turning to glance over towards her. "I'm afraid we must depart again. Your father has requested that you return to him immediately."

"Oh. Of course, but I must bid goodbye to my new friend, David, first," she responded, earning a smile from the woman.

Sincerely, she wished that the carriage had taken _much_ longer to be repaired.

"So, goodbye?" he mumbled, already saddened at the thought of losing his friend.

"It is never goodbye," she bowed politely, her hazel eyes landing upon his bright blue ones. "I shall write you letters, and I promise that they will always find you."

"Always?" he asked curiously.

"Always," she confirmed, beaming a smile.

"Then mine will always find you as well," he grinned, but his mother would have to teach him how to write properly first. Reading wasn't a problem, but writing…

"Always?" she repeated, her smile even wider than before.

"Always."

"Your Majesty!" Johanna called aloud again, earning a sigh from the princess.

"I hope we see each other again someday."

And without uttering another word, the princess silently and gracefully made her way towards Johanna, which left David to silently stare at her until he could no longer see bobbing, long locks of ebony hair and her pink coat.

He didn't have the heart to take the flower out of his hair, and he simply held it in the palm of his hand after it had fallen later during the day. They would see each other again, that he was sure of.

If their letters could _always _find each other, so could they, which is why he didn't hesitate to ask his mother an important question once she returned home from the market.

"Ah, mother? Can you teach me how to write?"


	2. The Letter

**Author's Note:** Under popular request, I decided to continue this fanfic and turn it into a multi-chapter AU instead of a oneshot! I'm sorry it took so long, however! Schoolwork kept me busy, and finding the direction I wanted to take with this fanfic took longer than I ever expected it would, but Snowing as kids is so adorable and fluffy that I'm convinced writing this gave me cavities.

Also, I would sincerely like to thank SuperWhoCaskettLock for her incredible support, advice, and feedback while writing this chapter. I'm not sure that I would have ever been able to properly finish it without you, and so I dedicate this chapter to you.

Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time or claim to own the rights of any of its characters, etc.

I shall be posting Chapter 3 as soon as I can (as soon as I write it, actually), but until then, enjoy!

* * *

**The Letter**

"_Life is like a garden  
And friendship like a flower,  
That blooms and grows in beauty  
With the sunshine and the shower."_

: : : :

_And I'm Snow, Princess Snow White._

Princess Snow White.

It was only a name, three little words, and yet it was etched permanently in his mind and in his every thought as well. He _needed_ to see his friend again. He _needed_ to hear from her; of her journeys and her well being, but not a single letter had yet to arrive.

It's not that he didn't want to write to her first. He wanted to. _Really_ badly. He had even gotten his mother to teach him how to (properly) write for her weeks ago! But _she_ had been the one who had first promised to write him letters, and all motivation to write a letter of his own had gone to vain.

They would always find him, she had promised, and he had enough faith in her to believe that they would. What he didn't understand was why he couldn't stop thinking about her. She was a girl — wait. She was a _princess_ who probably didn't like getting dirty in the forest or chasing sheep around with him.

It would be kind of fun anyways though.

"Are you still waiting for this letter, David?" his mother suddenly asks as she's stepping outside, interrupting his thoughts.

Sometimes he wishes he hadn't told her everything about Snow, but he had _really_ needed to tell someone. Sheep weren't exactly the best talkers. Good listeners, but no sense of communication. Not to mention that his mother had interrogated him with endless questions after he was suddenly demanding to learn how to write.

"Oh. Uh… Yeah," he replies a little solemnly, leaning against his staff. "Still nothing."

"You should practice your handwriting instead of daydreaming. You've spent enough time in the sun today. The sheep can manage without you for now, child."

"But mother—" he whines, but the look his mother was giving him was enough for David to know that she wouldn't be caving in to his whines anytime soon. He knew better than anyone how worthless it was to argue against her, yet that still never stopped him from at least protesting once with the small hope that she'd give him what he wanted.

It hasn't happened…yet.

"Rest. Your friend will write you a letter as soon as she can," Ruth reassured with a warm, loving smile.

"I'll rest under the oak tree," he countered, grinning charmingly. "It's nice there."

"Be careful," his mother warned, and he sighed.

When wasn't he being careful?

"Always."

And so, with his staff in hand, he began to walk across the wide, bright green pasture and between plenty of sheep to reach the desired oak tree on the very edge of their land. It was tall, much taller than he'd ever be at least, and its leaves always provided a shaded area big enough for at least ten people. In the summertime, he always came here to sit against the trunk and relax for a little while; silently observing the sheep graze at a very slow pace.

It was mesmerizing. Very mesmerizing. So mesmerizing, in fact, that he hadn't even acknowledged himself succumbing to sleep until a bird suddenly landed on his thighs, and he jolted awake in an instant.

The best thing about the bird was that it wasn't any bird. It was a messenger pigeon, and he knew _exactly_ where it came from.

_Snow_.

Without hesitating once, he untied the neatly folded letter from the pigeon's leg, observed it fly away almost instantly, and excitedly unfolded the letter. It was more than one parchment, which meant that his friend had written _a lot_, and he was excited; more excited than he'd ever like to admit. Plus her handwriting was so elegant to look at. Better than his anyways.

It was with a wide grin that he finally began to read the letter he had patiently awaited weeks to read.

_Dearest David,_

_I apologize that this letter took very long for me to write. So many wonderful things have happened since our encounter, and placing them into words has proven itself to be most difficult. I sincerely wish that I could tell you every word in person instead, but I'm afraid that this will have to suffice for now. Father would never allow me to leave the palace by myself. He worries endlessly about my safety. If I did, I can assure you that my punishment would be horrible, and that I would likely never see you again. Oh, that mustn't ever happen!_

_We only resumed our journey once Johanna and I had returned to my father's side. The carriage was repaired, and all was well. I was very lonely, but I somehow managed to occupy myself throughout it all. I kept wishing that we could return to see you and all of your sheep. It would have been wonderful._

_I cannot recall how many days passed before our journey finally came to an end. We had halted our carriages on an empty path in a forest to allow the horses to rest, and I had decided to ride a guard's horse as I was waiting for us to resume our journey. I didn't go very far from where my father was to speak with Johanna, when suddenly (you will not believe this) my horse wildly lost control and took off with me! I was screaming for help, but the horse was too quick for any of my father's men. I was alone and very helpless, unable to control my steed, and I was so scared of getting hurt, David, until a woman saved me. Her name is Regina, and she is now my hero._

_But this is only the beginning of my story._

_After Regina saved me, she took me to see her mother, Cora, who in return managed to find my dear father and Johanna. My father later informed me that he was very interested in asking Regina to marry him (father always tells me everything), for he had finally found someone who took such an interest in me as he did, and I truthfully did not know what to say._

_A few months ago, my mother, Queen Eva, passed away from an incurable illness. Father and I were devastated, and I could not leave my bedchamber for days after her funeral. I wept and wept and wept, no matter Johanna's soothing company. I do not ever wish you the burden of losing your mother or your father. (I must meet your parents one day. They would adore me, would they not? They must be as kind as you are.) _

_I was not ready to have another mother, but Regina is so kind, Charming. (Am I also allowed to address you as Charming? After all, I did mention that you were a __charming__ shepherd.) Father was at last happy once again, and I would have felt horrible to stand in the way of his wishes. Thus, I agreed, and father proposed. Regina had agreed to marry him, or so I had thought._

_I do not want to describe in detail what happened afterwards, for it had been quite upsetting, but I stumbled upon Regina kissing a man in the stables when she was to marry my father! She was to be my mother! I did not understand! How could she do this to my father, the kindest and most generous man in all the land? How could she not love him? It is then that Regina explained something absolutely beautiful to me. I shall quote it for you._

"_Love doesn't work that way. Love, true love, is magic. Not just any magic: the most powerful magic of all. It creates happiness."_

_The man in the stables was her true love, and I instantly did not oppose to the two of them running away together. I wanted Regina to be happy, and I knew that she would never be happy with father and I. With sincerity, I promised to keep her secret from her mother._

_Well, I did promise to keep it a secret. After speaking with Cora, I realized that she would be losing such a wonderful mother, and I could not stand to live with another painful burden. I didn't want Regina to lose her mother, like I had lost mine. It is why I told her mother of the man in the stables. I wanted her to be truly happy. I wanted her to have both._

_Unfortunately, Regina later informed me that Daniel had been nothing more than an infatuation, and she was instead choosing to marry father as originally planned. She is to marry him in a fortnight from today, and believe me when I say that I am quite thrilled to have her as my mother, Charming, but I still don't understand._

_Is love, true love, only an infatuation, or is it pure, magical, and real?_

_Well, I am sure I shall find the answer to this question someday. Johanna assures me that I am too young for love, but that one day I no longer will be. Oh, I really do hope to find my true love one day! Don't you? That would be wonderful! My true love and I would have a beautiful wedding, and we would have a daughter named Emma. Maybe a son as well… What are your dreams for the future? I'm sure they must be more interesting than mine._

_At last, I conclude this letter in the hopes that I did not bore you with my story, and that we shall see each other again very soon. I plan on visiting you. I really do. I will ask Johanna to accompany me on my journey after the wedding is past, but you must let me know as quickly as possible for when I am allowed to visit. I do not want to be a bother to either you or your family._

_Until we see each other again._

_Sincerely,_

_Her Majesty Princess Snow White_

_P.S.: I promised that my letter would always find you, did I not?_

_P.P.S.: My messenger pigeon shall remain at your farm until you are ready to send me your letter. Whistle once and very loudly, and it will find you._

Still positively shaking with excitement, David stood, tightly grasping onto the letter, and ran to the farm as quickly as he could. Her letter had been everything he had hoped for and more, and she needed an answer _immediately_.

His mother, thankfully, didn't question him in any way as he ran past her inside, but he did catch that knowing smile she was beaming at him once he sat down at their little desk, pulled out the dried flower Snow had given him from his pocket to place before him with a grin, grabbed a few parchments, and dipped his quill into fresh ink.

Yeah, he'd tell her about it later. Right now he had a letter to write!

_Dearest Snow,_

_I had faith that your letter would find me. You promised that they would always find me, and I never once doubted its arrival. You have nothing to be sorry for._

_I wish I could say that my life is as exciting as yours, but watching sheep doesn't compare to being saved from a runaway horse! I can only hope that you're as safe as you claim you are. (You should have dropped by the farm again. Would've been nice. The sheep misses you.)_

_Regina sounds nice (you did the right thing by telling her mother; mothers are important), but your father sounds nicer. Do you think he'd like me if he met me? He's the king and all. But since he really cares about you and you're my friend, he won't hate me. Right?_

_I'm sorry about your mother. If it's any consolation, my father died from an illness when I was really young. I don't remember much about him, other than how he'd always say that family is the most important thing in the world. You could be, well, a princess, and have all the gold in the land, but you still couldn't be happy without family. My mother's great. She'll love you. I promise. Just don't disobey her orders or anything. She'll get mad._

_Yeah, you can call me Charming. Anything you want. It makes me sound like an honorary prince! (Am I an honorary prince for being your friend? I don't really know the rules.) It's great that you want your father to be happy. I'd do the same for my mother. Family comes first._

_I don't know anything about true love, so I had to ask my mother your question. Here's what she said._

"_True love is magic, and it certainly isn't an infatuation. When you're older, you will fully understand what true love is."_

_I guess her answer is similar to Johanna's. My mother always says that I'll understand everything more when I'm older, but every year I still understand as much as I did the year before. I don't think it's true._

_My biggest dream is to have a beautiful wife I'll really love one day, and a son. I haven't decided his name yet, but he should be named after me. It's all I really want: a family of my own. (Emma's a really nice name for a girl.)_

_You're welcome to come here anytime you want! The sooner the better. I told my mother about you, and she seems really interested in meeting my friend the princess who petted one of our sheep. There's a forest near our land, and I could take you to this secret place I know. Running after sheep is fun too. I'll try to think of more things we could do together before you come here._

_Avoid horses for a while and stick to sheep. I can't wait to see you again._

_Charming_

Satisfied with his response, he neatly rolled up the parchments and hurriedly stormed outside. Whistling once and as loud as he could, he held out his hand for the fluttering messenger pigeon that reached him, and carefully attached his letter on one of its legs.

"Find her," he instructed, grinning as the bird flew into the air.

He doesn't know how long he stood there watching the pigeon fly away, but he didn't move a single inch until his mother placed a gentle hand against his shoulder.

"Come. Tell me everything. Will a special guest be joining us soon?"

Mothers really are the best.

: : : :

Meanwhile, hours later in a beautiful palace, sat a tiresome young princess who was carefully brushing her mess of long, ebony locks before her vanity in her bedchamber. The sun had fallen, and the moon had risen. The soft candlelight was illuminating her reflection in her mirror, but her gaze was blank.

Oh, how Snow missed the evenings when her mother would surprise her by offering to brush her hair for her, and in return she would tell her stories she had crafted from her own imagination. They had always primarily consisted of princes and princesses falling madly in love with one another after a beautiful adventure, and living happily ever after.

Every passing second, she was expecting her mother to walk inside her bedchamber for the kindest request, but she never would again. It was a loss neither Regina nor Johanna could ever fill, despite how dearly she loved them both. No. Queen Eva, her dear mother, was irreplaceable no matter what her father believed.

Thankfully, she now had a friend of her own, and the thought alone was enough to keep the fresh tears from trickling slowly down her rosy, porcelain cheeks; however, for the moment, she couldn't bear to brush her hair any longer, and decided that gazing at the shimmering stars for a little while would be much more soothing.

Luckily it was, for when she arrived her favorite messenger pigeon arrived as well. Nothing could have possibly made Snow any happier than to receive David's letter, and so hurriedly as well!

Rushing to her bed, Snow lied down onto back, her head resting against numerous pillows, and spent the next hour reading and analyzing every word of his beautiful letter. His handwriting wasn't neat and proper, but it was very…_charming_.

Goodness, where was Johanna? She needed to share such wonderful news!

Thankfully, almost as if on queue, she stepped through her bedchamber door with a steaming cup of tea in hand. "Your Majesty? I thought you could use some tea before bed."

"Oh, Johanna! I have such wonderful news to share!"


End file.
